Brocade announced this morning that it is buying open source routing vendor Vyatta to further it's software-defined networking and network virtualization strategy.  Vyatta will report into the Software Networking Business unit upon close by the end of 2012.  Initially, the focus of the Vyatta technology will be extending Brocade's Ethernet Fabric into virtualized environments.

We've spent time with both companies over recent months -- this acquisition is a good for Brocade for a number of reasons:

• Brings needed software expertise and talent in the company
• Given Vyatta's relationship with VMware; this should give Brocade new customer opportunities in VMware environments
• Reduces Brocade's reliance on OpenFlow for their SDN strategy (see our post regarding the risk of relying on open-Source SDN tools) and reliance on open-source controllers for execution.

This is smart move to further extend their Fabric business.

See our other coverage on Brocade and Vyatta - include our interview of Keith Stewart:

• Brocade’s Keith Stewart on OpenFlow and SDN – Featured Interview
• VMWorld 2012: Brocade ADX Series to Unveil VXLAN Gateway Services
• MIT/Stanford Venture Lab (VLAB): The Revolution of Software Defined Networks
• What does Arista, Insieme & Vyatta have in common? Implication to SDN
• Suitability of Network Virtualization for Venture Capital Investment